Unhappy with the slow pace of work with regard to maintenance and addressing their demands, the Margao New Market Traders Association has submitted a charter of demands to the Margao Municipal Council (MMC) chairperson and chief officer.
The charter of demands that was recently handed over by association president Vinod Shirodkar outlines six major pending issues and has asked for a timebound delivery on these demands given that the past council had failed to solve these issues during their 5 year term.
Their major demand has been regarding the construction of an overhead tank which has been assured to them by successive governments and councils but the file is constantly in transition between the MMC and PWD for want of proper design, land and a host of other related problems.
As per their memorandum, Shirodkar has pointed out that the construction of an overhead tank is of paramount importance to combat fire incidents in the market and he has asked the MMC to install the tank on top on priority. He added that presently there are no means available in the new market to combat fire, when such incidents threaten both the lives of the traders as well as their means of livelihood. The traders association along with the MMC, PWD and fire and emergency services has held several meetings and inspections over the past few months on this issue but the matter is not moving forward at the pace they would like.
The second major issue has been one that affects the public and traders alike – that of parking management at the market. On this front it may be recalled that the traders association had even called the traffic police to inspect the premises along with the MMC and are trying to come to a system to ensure planned parking and smooth traffic. In the memorandum, the traders have reiterated their demand that the municipality should issue an order to prevent reservation of parking in and around the new market area.
Their next demand concerns a gender sensitive issue, the needs of the women working in the market and even the female customers who visit the market to have a clean and hygienic toilet facility. At the same time, they have highlighted the absence of sanitation facilities for men and women in the new market for want of toilet facilities. Through the memorandum, the association has requested to construct a sulabh toilet for the use of market traders by providing adequate facilities for sanitation exclusively for women. It is to be noted that the market is maintained by the MMC and the traders pay various fees to the MMC in this regard in addition to taxes.
The memorandum has also called upon the MMC to look into pending applications to avoid power connections at shop units. Vinod pointed out that the traders had applied for NOCs to avail of power connections at their shops /units, but that these applications are still pending with the municipality with no decision forthcoming till date.
Shirodkar has demanded that the MMC completes installation of shades on an urgent basis. The association has complained that that the installation of shades by the municipality in the new market is still incomplete.
On the contentious exhibition cum sales issue that the traders associations has been protesting for a while and had even brought the functioning of the civic body to a standstill last year, the association has complained that these sales adversely affect the business of the traders in the new market. They have demanded that the MMC restricts permissions for sales and exhibitions in and around the city and have asked the municipality to comply with the existing policy on issuing permissions for sales and exhibitions as per the district collector’s order.
Finally, in view of the problems they face every monsoon, the association has pointed out that the market building has existed since the Portuguese era and water seeps into the building and causes them a great deal of inconvenience and damages their goods as well. The new market traders association has demanded that the MMC makes available the requisite roof tiles and wooden material on priority to plug the leakages during the next monsoon.
